GAD and gender equality make co-op operations and service even more sustainable

Gender and development (GAD) is important to co-operatives’ sustainability. GAD efforts of co-ops enable them to integrate gender equality that leads to even more economic and social growth in the co-ops. With gender equality, co-ops give attention to the needs and contributions of both women and men members. Equal opportunities given to both women and men help strengthen even more the co-ops and communities. International agreements and conventions advocate GAD and gender equality as important factors in development. The "Statement on the Co-operative Identity (SCI)" of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) enshrines the value of equality and equity, and highlights the participation of both women and men in the co-ops. In the Philippines, laws, executive orders, and circulars stress the importance of GAD efforts in fulfilling the government's nation-building goals. The importance of GAD and gender equality is also emphasized in Memorandum Circular (MC) 2013-22, pertaining to “Guidelines on Mainstreaming GAD in Cooperatives,” issued by the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) on November 18, 2013. (See http://cda.gov.ph/images/Issuances/MCs/MC2013-22-Guidelines-on-mainstreaming-GAD-in-coops.pdf) CDA is the Philippine government’s lead agency in co-op development. MC 2013-22 aims at disseminating to the co-op sector the GAD mandate of the Philippine government to ensure the promotion and institutionalization of GAD and gender equality in co-ops’ policies, programs, and other activities.

In the Philippines’s private co-op sector, there are already gender-fair co-operatives that can attest to the economic and social benefits of advocating and practicing gender equality. These gender-fair co-ops also want to help other co-ops fulfill their GAD and gender equality objectives and needs. Thus some of them have together formed Gender Equality Resource Centers (GERCs) based in the Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao regions of the country. These GERCs’ gender focal specialists and advocates have themselves undergone intensive trainers’ training in gender equality and are also long-time co-op advocates and workers. The GERCs are ready to help fellow co-ops and other development agencies achieve greater sustainability in operations and service through gender equality.
 
Where are the GERCs in Philippine co-ops? 

GERC Luzon
Abra Diocesan Teachers and Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ADTEMPCO)
Bulacan Federation of Cooperatives (BUFECO)
Ligas Kooperatiba ng Bayan sa Pagpapaunlad (LKBP)
Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives (NSCC)
Sacred Heart Credit and Development Cooperative (SHCDC)
St. Martin of Tours Credit and Development Cooperative (SMTCDC)
Contact persons: Ms Lani Babista lani_babista@yahoo.com and
Ms Divina Quemi (NSCC) nsccvigan2@yahoo.com

GERC Visayas  
Cebu People’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CPMPC)
Cordova Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CMC)
Don Bosco Network Multi-Purpose Cooperative (DBNMPC)
Dumanjug Multi-Purpose Cooperative (DMPC)
Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC)
Mandaue City Public Market Vendors Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MAVENCO)
Metro Ormoc Community Cooperative (OCCCI)
Contact persons: Ms Edita Fernandez  Fernandezedita@yahoo.com and
Ms Rosie Agbay  van2baylon@yahoo.com

GERC MASS-SPECC
MASS-SPECC Cooperative Development Center (MASS-SPECC)
Aurora Integrated Multi-Purpose Cooperative (AIM Coop)
Bukidnon Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BUGEMCO)
Notre Dame of Marbel University Employees Development Cooperative (NDMU Coop)
Tagum Cooperative (TC)
Zillovia Women’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ZWMPC) LOGO
(Note: Primary co-ops above compose the MASS-SPECC Gender Equality Committee.)

Also in the GERC MASS-SPECC:
Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology National Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MSU-IIT NMPC)
Paglaum Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC)
Panabo Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Panabo MPC)
Pantukan Chess Club Cooperative (PCCC)
Contact person: Ms Bernadette Toledo nadettetoledo@yahoo.com.ph

Co-ops help co-ops, amid "Yolanda"

Supertyphoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) claimed many lives and destroyed many properties in the Philippines in November 2013, particularly in provinces of the Visayas region of the country. But though Yolanda had caused much devastation, it failed to break the spirit of fellowship and co-operation. Public and private organizations, and individuals immediately mobilized relief assistance for Yolanda’s survivors, even as these survivors’ locations were still hard to reach right after the calamity. Philippine co-operatives and their officers, staff, and members in the affected areas were among those who needed help. Fellow co-operators thereby launched fund-raisers and collection of goods to aid these co-ops as well as other survivors.

AWCF, with its Secretariat based in the Philippines and with projects involving Philippine co-ops, sent a letter of appeal to its member-organizations, partner-co-ops, and other friends. The appeal, signed by AWCF Executive Director Ms Salome Ganibe, aimed at raising funds and other forms of support for co-operators in the affected areas. The National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), AWCF’s member in the Philippines, also implemented its assistance drive for Yolanda’s survivors.

Donations raised and turned over

AWCF's appeal for help was able to raise funds from within the Philippines and from other countries. AWCF turned over these funds to Visayas-based co-ops. Co-ops belonging to the “Gender Equality Resource Center (GERC) Visayas” purchased goods that they themselves distributed to affected co-op members and their families in certain far-flung villages. AWCF turned over some other funds to the Metro Ormoc Community Multi-Purpose Cooperative (OCCCI) in Ormoc, Leyte province, as assistance to its staff who were also Yolanda survivors. (Leyte is among the hardest hit areas of Yolanda.) Amid their own dire situation after Yolanda, the OCCCI staff became busy at reaching out to their Co-op’s members who were also among the hardest hit by the supertyphoon. As of this writing, AWCF is still consolidating other donated funds for forwarding to other Yolanda survivors.

The first photo below shows Ms Ganibe turning over AWCF’s collected funds to Mr. Jose Mosquite, Chief Executive Officer of OCCCI, in simple rites in Cebu City, Philippines, December 18, 2013. The second photo shows Ms Ganibe handing over AWCF’s support to Ms Gloria Gaviola, OCCCI Vice Chairperson, also in Cebu City, December 20, 2013. In the next photo, Ms Ganibe and Ms Gaviola are joined by representatives of the GERC Visayas co-ops (note: OCCCI is also a member of the GERC Visayas), and AWCF consultants. AWCF and its friends from different countries also extended support to OCCCI Human Resources Manager and Gender Focal Person Ms Marilyn Pelin and to former AWCF Administrative Officer Ms Aster Penaranda who, together with their families, are likewise residents of Leyte.

Message from OCCCI

In OCCCI’s letter signed by Mr. Mosquite on December 20, 2013 and sent to Ms Ganibe, the Co-op thanked AWCF for the “strong partnership as partner-conduit in uplifting the lives of the people and the community, and toward poverty alleviation.” The letter also said that the donations and assistance turned over by AWCF helped “OCCCI to directly cater to the needs of its staff, officers, and members that brought relief and joy to them, especially concerning the sustenance of their survival and recuperation.” The letter came with an attached copy of the OCCCI Board resolution that extended gratitude to all its partners that had assisted the Co-op because of Yolanda. The OCCCI Board Chairperson is Fr. Cornelio Amante Jr.

Thanks from AWCF

AWCF thanks all its member-organizations, partners, and friends for their warm and immediate response to its appeal for help for the Yolanda survivors.

Gender Equality Resource Centers (GERCs) in Philippine co-ops: Strengthening co-ops and families

What is gender equality or GE? In GE, women and men have equal rights, benefits, opportunities for advancement, services, and access to and control over resources; and equal roles to play in development as participants and as leaders.

Click here to download the GERC Brochure (PDF file).

(Note: On November 18, 2013, the Philippine government's Cooperative Development Authority [CDA] issued Memorandum Circular [MC] 2013-22, pertaining to "Guidelines on Mainstreaming Gender and Development [GAD] in Cooperatives." The Circular, as stated in the MC itself, aims at disseminating to the co-op sector the GAD mandate of the government so as to ensure the promotion of GE and the institutionalization of GAD in policies, programs, and other activities in the co-ops.)

Gender Equality Resource Centers in Philippine co-ops fully activated

Gender Equality Resource Centers (GERCs) based in Philippine co-operatives in the Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao regions are now fully activated. The GERCs are ready to serve the country’s other co-ops and help them fulfill their objectives and needs related to gender and development (GAD) and genderequality (GE).

On November 21-24, 2013, co-operators from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao regions of the Philippines converged for a meeting and workshop in San Rafael, Bulacan province in Luzon for their continuing capacity-building toward effective and timely service delivery to other co-ops and different institutions. These co-operators belong to different co-ops that comprise GERCs in the aforementioned regions. These co-ops, which are among the most active and most progressive co-ops in the country, have become gender-fair and gender-sensitive organizations that recognize and advocate the socio-economic benefits that co-ops and their members enjoy when they embrace GE. Furthermore, these co-ops that had formed their own GERCs have banded together to operate GERCs at the regional level, mainly to help even more effectively other co-ops and institutions in enjoying the benefits of being gender-fair organizations.

The GERCs were set up under the auspices of the Project “Sustaining Gender Equality Among Co-operatives in the Philippines” that is implemented in 2013 by the Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF). The Project is supported by the We Effect—Swedish Cooperative Centre (We Effect—SCC), with fund support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). In the years immediately prior to this Project, AWCF, also with We Effect—SCC’s support, implemented the “first” project “Promoting Gender Equality Among Co-operatives in the Philippines.” This first project likewise involved other co-ops that are now part of the regional GERCs formedby the co-ops through the current AWCF-We Effect—SCC Project.

The first project (implemented 2010-2012) culminated in the “AWCF Public Awareness Conference” held December 6, 2012 in Quezon City, Philippines, wherein 15 co-ops participating in the project drafted the document "Call for Action to the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) tosupport Gender Equality in Philippine co-ops." The original copy of the Call for Action, which was signed by the 15 co-ops’ representatives, was submitted by the co-ops at the Conference to CDA Executive Director Mr. Niel Santillan. He was one of the Conference’s guests. On January 2, 2013, AWCF sent a copy of the same Call for Action to the office of CDA Chairperson Mr. Emmanual Santiaguel.


The Call for Action
In the said Call for Action, the 15 co-ops that took part in the AWCF GE Project from 2010-2012 stated, among other things, that they realize that as gender-fair co-ops, they may serve as role-models for other co-ops and co-operators on the benefits of being gender-aware and gender-sensitive, and of practicing GE. In consideration of this premise and other premises stated in the said Call for Action, the 15 co-ops said that they are therefore making the call and the challenge to the CDA—being the most relevant government agency supporting co-ops in the country—to support GE mainstreaming and integration in the co-ops to bring about even greater socio-economic benefits to the movement.
Specifically, the 15 co-ops called on the CDA to:
1. Require gender-sensitivity training or gender-awareness sessions as one of the courses for co-op officers and key management staff
2. Require co-ops to engage in gender-related activities so as to address gender issues in their co-ops and thus become gender-fair and gender-responsive organizations and workplaces
3. Require co-ops to integrate GE in their bylaws.

These aforementioned actions, as stated in the Call for Action, will lead co-ops in the country to make GE as one of their priority/primary actions. Thisway, the co-ops will be compliance with the Rules and Policies Implementing Certain Provisions of the “Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008,” Rule 11Section 5, “Social Audit of Cooperatives.” 

The 15 co-ops closed the Call for Action document by strongly urging the CDA’s “favorable response to the Call for Action beginning 2013.”

Next steps after Call for Action; Circular issued
After the Call for Action was submitted to the CDA Executive Director in December 2012 in the Public Awareness Conference and sent by AWCF to the CDA Chairperson in January 2013, AWCF worked with CDA for almost all of the latter part of the year to follow up, coordinate and advocate with, and provide technical support to CDA in responding to the Call for Action for GE in co-ops. AWCF Executive Director Ms Salome Ganibe led her office's efforts in coordinating with CDA. (See related article)


With the support of CDA Chairperson Mr. Santiaguel, the key officers (led by Ms Mercedes Castillo, one of the CDA Board of Administrators or BOA) and management staff in CDA’s Central Office and field offices gave also their support to the Call for Action and translated that support to activities (technical working group meetings between AWCF and CDA; gender awareness sessions with CDA officers and staff, and co-ops in attendance; and other discussions). All these activities ultimately led to the drafting and  subsequent approval in November 18, 2013 by the CDA's BOA of Memorandum Circular (MC) 2013-22, pertaining to "Guidelines on Mainstreaming Gender and Development (GAD) inCooperatives." The Circular aims at disseminating to the co-op sector in the Philippines theGAD mandate of government, and therefore ensure the promotion of GE and institutionalization of GAD in policies, programs, and other activities of co-ops.


The pursuance of GAD and GE in Philippine co-ops is not a new undertaking, as the seed of gender awareness was planted in the co-op movement in the late 1980s to early 1990s. Co-ops that had embraced GE have been enjoying so far the advantages to their organizations and women and men members of being gender-fair. But, until now, GE efforts have reached a limited number of co-ops and also have achieved a limited quantity and quality of outputs mainly because of the still prevailing gender issues in society that had found their way into co-op structures. These are gender issues that co-ops have to recognize and address with commitment and passion if they believe that GE is a great way to achieve even greater co-op sustainability. And to attain this objective, co-ops need the support and assistance of gender advocates/resource persons in the co-op movement, and the support of government toward achieving GAD and GE.

AWCF and the GERCs thus view CDA’s issuance of the GAD Circular that leads to GE in co-ops as one of the most important steps that will surely bring about the even greater sustainability of Philippine co-ops, in both social and economic fronts. There is no lack of data, proofs, and testimonies on how having GE in co-ops results to stronger, happier, and even more relevant organizations (increased membership, lowered delinquency, more services, etc.) and, subsequently, stronger and happier families that support their co-ops even more. 


Locating the GERCs in co-ops
The GERCs now operating in Luzon,Visayas, and Mindanao regions are based in the following co-operatives:
  
GERC Luzon:
-Abra Diocesan Teachers and EmployeesMulti-Purpose Cooperative (ADTEMPCO)
-Bulacan Federation of Cooperatives (BUFECO)
-Ligas Kooperatiba ng Bayan sa Pagpapaunlad (LKBP)
-Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives (NSCC)
-Sacred Heart Credit and Development Cooperative (SHCDC)
-St. Martin of Tours Credit and Development Cooperative (SMTCDC)

• Contact persons

Ms Lani Babista  lani_babista@yahoo.com
Ms Divina Quemi (NSCC)  nsccvigan2@yahoo.com

 GERC Visayas:

-Cebu People’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CPMPC)
-Cordova Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CMC)
-Don Bosco Network Multi-Purpose Cooperative(DBNMPC)
-Dumanjug Multi-Purpose Cooperative (DMPC)
-Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC)
-Mandaue City Public Market Vendors Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MAVENCO)
-Metro Ormoc Community Cooperative (OCCCI)

• Contact person

Ms Edita Fernandez    Fernandezedita@yahoo.com

 

GERC MASS-SPECC:

   GERC MASS-SPECC is composed of the following co-op organizations—

-MASS-SPECC Cooperative Development Center (MASS-SPECC)
-Aurora Integrated Multi-Purpose Cooperative (AIM Coop)
-Bukidnon Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative(BUGEMCO)
-Notre Dame of Marbel University Employees DevelopmentCooperative (NDMU Coop)
-Tagum Cooperative (TC)
-Zillovia Women’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative(ZWMPC) 
(Note:Primary co-ops above compose the MASS-SPECC Gender Equality Committee.)

Also in the GERC MASS-SPECC:
-Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology National Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MSU-IIT NMPC)
-Paglaum Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC)
-Panabo Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Panabo MPC)
-Pantukan Chess Club Cooperative (PCCC)

• Contact person

Ms Bernadette Toledo   nadettetoledo@yahoo.com.ph


More information on GAD, GE, the GERCs, and GERC AWCF can be obtained from the above-listed GERCs, and from emailing awcf@coopwomen.org

Philippine co-ops' GERCs—touching lives begins now

Representatives of gender equality resource centers (GERCs) in co-ops from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in the Philippines attended the event "GERC Monitoring Forum and Capacity-Building on Monitoring and Evaluation and Gender Equality Tools for the GERC," held Sept. 11-14, 2013 in Cordova, Cebu, Philippines. The Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF) organized the event, under the Project “Sustaining Gender Equality Among Co-operatives in the Philippines,” supported by the We Effect—Swedish Cooperative Centre (We Effect—SCC). Co-ops belonging to the GERC Visayas hosted the event. The event participants also did a co-op study-tour, and they were graciously received by the Cebu People’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CPMPC), Cordova Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CMC), and Mandaue City Public Market Vendors Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MAVENCO).

Co-ops composing the GERC Luzon, GERC Visayas, and GERC MASS-SPECC are now busy starting up and even already offering gender equality (GE) services in their own co-ops and to other interested co-ops and organizations. (See http://awcfcoopwomen.blogspot.com/2013/09/philippine-co-ops-gender-equality.html)

The Cebu event was marked by solidarity messages from the representative of Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy and from Mr. Felipe Deri, Regional Director for Region 7 of the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA). CDA is the Philippines’s main government body concerned with the growth of the country’s co-op movement. Mr. Deri invited the GERC workshop participants to the “Central Visayas Cooperative Congress” to be held October 25-26, 2013 in the Central Visayas area. AWCF Executive Director Ms Salome Ganibe will be one of the speakers in the said Congress, on the topic of GE in co-ops.

In November this year, the different co-op GERCs will again meet in Bulacan, Philippines, for their monitoring forum and another capacity-building workshop. 

GERC Luzon

GERC Visayas

GERC MASS-SPECC

Co-ops and Families: Stronger with Gender Equality!

Co-ops, AWCF hold strategic planning for gender equality resource center

In the strategic planning event for gender equality resource centers (GERCs) in co-ops, the representatives of Philippine co-ops and the AWCF Secretariat (led by AWCF Executive Director Ms Salome Ganibe) were joined by guests Ms Mercedes Castillo of the Board of Administrators of the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), Philippines; Ms Cherryl Marders, also of CDA; and Ms Emelina Santos, Head of the Member Relations and Networking Group of the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), Philippines. This event and ongoing process is part of a gender equality project of AWCF supported by We Effect-Swedish Cooperative Centre.